China
is a destination of such epic proportions that we can barely scratch the
surface here.

With
three major regions, China stretches from the mountainous west, to the desert
plains of the Mongol Plateau to Manchuria in the northeast. The largely
low-lying eastern region consists of the valleys and floodplains of the Yangtze
and Yellow Rivers, through to the coastal plains of the Pearl River in the
south.

It
is hard to bypass (and one certainly shouldn’t!) the nation’s capital for over
3000 years Beijing as China’s premier tourist destination. The architectural
masterpiece of the Forbidden City, the equally impressive Summer Palace,
Tiananmen Square, the Ming Tombs, the Temple of Heaven… and of course, the most
famous of all. The Great Wall of China, built during the Ming Dynasty’s reign
to fortify China’s northern border and today one of the most visited sites in
all the world.

For
contrast, Shanghai is one of Asia’s fastest growing and most modern cities. A
centre for commercial trade with the west during the 1800s, by the 1930s it was
both famous and infamous as a cosmopolitan world city. Today soaring
skyscrapers overlooking the Bund are testament to Shanghai’s influential
economic position.

And
beyond the obvious, there is also Xian, once an ancient capital on the Silk
Road. Xian is most famous for the discovery of its Terracotta Warriors – over
7000 warriors and horses have been excavated from a site first discovered by a
group of peasants who uncovered some pottery while digging for a well nearby in
1974.

Then
there is Guilin, the Yangtze River, Zhouzhuang, Zhengzhou, Xiamen, Lhasa and so
much more. A country certainly worthy of more than one visit and with so much
choice perfectly positioned to suit every requirement.

China
a country so vast, a history so rich and a culture so profound… Home to over
one billion people, China is a mysterious and fascinating nation with an
incredible array of iconic historical sites, traditions and civilizations that
date back many thousands of years, breathtaking country landscapes and
futuristic cities.

Location
and Geography

Located
in Southeast Asia along the coastline of the Pacific Ocean, China is the
world’s third largest country, after Russia and Canada. With an area of 9.6
million square kilometres and a coastline of 18,000 kilometres, its shape on
the map is like a rooster. It reaches Mohe in Heilongjiang Province as its
northern end, Zengmu Ansha (or James Shoal) to the south, Pamirs to the west,
and expands to the eastern border at the conjunction of the Heilongjiang (Amur)
River and the Wusuli (Ussuri) River, spanning about 50 degrees of latitude and
62 degrees of longitude.

China
has a long history, going back over to 3 thousand years, ruled by Emperors and
their dynasties. During 1200 China was invaded by the Mongols from Mongolia and
was ruled by Kablai Khan, the era was known as the Yuan Dynasty. Mongols were
the first foreign invaders who ruled China for several years. By the mid-1300s,
the Yuan dynasty gave way to the Ming dynasty. Then in the mid-1600s,
Manchurian troops overthrew the Ming dynasty to establish the Qing dynasty. In
the early 1900s, the country came out from the power of dynasty rule to create
the Peoples Republic of China. In the 1930s, China came under control of a
communist government.

With
a rich history dating back to over 3,500 years, China is one of the oldest
civilizations of the world, which is still in existence.

The
First Opium War

The
First Opium War exploded out in 1840 when Britain persisted for the illegal
opium trade in the territories of China whereas the China prohibited this
narcotic drug. With China losing the war, Britain and other Western powers with
the United States gained special commercial privileges over the country. Under
the Treaty of Nanking, 1842, Hong Kong was handed to Britain and when the Opium
Wars finally came to an end in 1898, Britain brought about a 99-year lease of
the New Territories substantially enlarging the Hong Kong region.

The
Great “People’s Republic of China”

On
October 1, 1949 the founding of the “People’s Republic of China” was certified
in Beijing. A new political and economic regime was instated, built on the
pattern of Soviet society. During 1950s the government launch upon a tremendous
economic and social indemnification. Steps were taken to restrain inflation,
mending the economy and reconstructing the war-damaged industrial plants and
regions. In the process the government acquired a tremendous support from its
people.

Communism
Society

In
the early 1960s State President Liu Shaoqi and his party General Secretary Deng
Xiaoping took over the reigns and adopted realistic economic policies, which
clashed with Mao’s vision. Dissatisfied with the new developments Mao launched
a massive political attack on Liu, Deng and other pragmatists in 1966. The new
movement, the “Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution”, was aimed at gathering
opposition against ruling leaders.

The
Development of the Economy in 1980s

In
1980 the reformist Sichuan party Chief Zhao Ziyang and as party General
Secretary took over the charge. The reform policies brought great improvements
in the standard of living especially for urban workers and for farmers.
Literature and the arts blossomed and Chinese intellectuals established
extensive links with scholars in other countries. At the same time however
political dissent as well as social problems such as inflation urban migration
and prostitution emerged.

China
Rule in New World

After
the death of Deng in 1997, President Jiang Zemin and other members slowly took
over control of the day-to-day functions of government. This “third generation”
leadership governed collectively with President Jiang at the center. In 2003,
Hu Jintao replaced Jiang as the President.

Chinese
Art and Culture

China’s
traditional arts command a great part of the country’s rich heritage. Since
ancient time, Chinese society has cherished excellence in its arts. Kung Fu,
(also known as wushu or martial arts) is one of the most well known examples of
traditional Chinese culture. It is probably one of the earliest and longest
lasting sports which utilize both brawn and brain. The theory of Kung Fu is
based upon classical Chinese philosophy. Tea has been one of the daily
necessities in China since time immemorial. Countless numbers of people like to
have their after meal tea. In summer or warm climate, tea seems to dispel the
heat and bring on instant cool together with a feeling of relaxation. For this
reason, teahouses abound in towns and market villages in South China.

China
is a country with many ethnic groups and a colourful cultural heritage. In
China, there are many traditional festivals. Most of the traditional festivals
in China are based on the Chinese lunar calendar. The Chinese regard eating as
an art, which is a comprehensive combination of sight, smell, touch, taste and
even sound. Chinese cuisine is a dominant branch from the Chinese culture - the
core is taste while the purpose is to preserve health. It is a perfect fusion
of colour, shape, appearance and flavour. China’s traditional arts command a
great part of the country’s rich heritage. Since ancient time, Chinese society
has cherished excellence in its arts. Over centuries, Chinese arts have
developed its own unique styles and forms. Singing, sculpture, calligraphy,
painting, carving and others are the timeworn forms of expression in Chinese
arts.

Religion
and Beliefs

The
country of China extends over a vast land, thronged with the largest population
of the world. The region also enjoys the status of being one of the oldest
civilizations, since then numerous religions grew and flourished in this
ancient world. China consists of 5 major religions — Buddhism, Taoism, Islam,
Catholicism and other Christian religions.

Confucianism

Confucianism
is a reasoned doctrine rather than a religion, remarkably ruled China for more
then 2,000 years. There are also many other ancient religions and beliefs
followed by some ethnic groups. Chinese culture was perhaps the first to
develop an intellectual skepticism regarding the gods.

Buddhism

Buddhism
came to China from its bordering country India, in the 1st century AD, and
could flourish only after the 4th century. China has more than 13,000 Buddhist
temples, with about 200,000 monks and nuns, spreading all over the country.
Buddhism falls mainly into three groups: Chinese Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism
(Lamaism) and Bali Buddhism.

Taoism

Taoism
was brought into existence during the Han dynasty in China. The Chinese
philosopher, Lu Xun once said: “China roots deep in Taoism. If one wants to
understand Chinese history and culture, one must perceive Taoism first.” Taoism
is also known as a traditional religion of China and has more than 600 Taoist
temples throughout the country with 6,000 resident Taoist priests and nuns.

Islam

Islam
entered China in the 7th century, is followed by about more then 17 million
members. There are more than 26,000 mosques with 40,000 Imams. Arab traders,
who came to China for the purpose of trade, settled down on the southern coast
of China and later established their mosques in great maritime cities like
Guangzhou and Quanzhou.

Catholicism

Catholicism
was ubiquitously prevalent in China during the Tang Dynasty in the year 635,
later on its mark faded but again in the Yuan dynasty — 1271–1368 the religion
endeavour a comeback for a short period. Later, the Italian priest Matteo Ricci
was authorized to set up churches during the Ming Dynasty — 1368–1644. After
the opium war, there was a rapid catholic development in China. Now China is
home to 4 million Catholics, including 2,700 clergymen who serve more than
4,000 churches.

Christianity

Christianity
includes Protestant, not of a Catholic or Eastern Church. The religion was
introduced to China during the 1930s, when there was a large inflow of
missionaries from the world. When new China was founded in 1949, there were
some 700,000 Chinese Christians. Today, the followers of Christianity in China
believed to rise up to 6.5 million, including 18,000 missionaries. There are
more than 8,000 Christian churches and 20,000 meeting halls nationwide. China
also has about 48 religious seminaries and colleges, and almost 10 million copies
of the Bible have been published all over China.